Apparatus And Method For Forming A Container Having A Receptacle And An Integral Cap And Product Formed Thereby

ABSTRACT

An apparatus for forming a container generally comprises a first mold part having an injection mold portion and a blow mold portion and a second mold part having a core pin. The core pin is configured to cooperate with the injection mold portion in a first position to define an injection mold cavity for forming a preform and an integral cap. The core pin is also configured to cooperate with the blow mold portion in a second position to define a blow mold cavity for forming a receptacle from the preform. The cap may be closed at the blow mold portion to seal the receptacle. One or more threads may be formed on a neck of the container.

CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION

This application is a divisional of co-pending U.S. patent applicationSer. No. 13/915,800, filed Jun. 12, 2013, which is a divisional of U.S.patent application Ser. No. 11/463,717, filed Aug. 10, 2006, now grantedas U.S. Pat. No. 8,491,832 on Jul. 23, 2013, each disclosure of which ishereby incorporated herein by reference in its entireties.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates generally to containers and, moreparticularly, to an apparatus and method for forming a container havinga receptacle and an integral cap.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

Containers have long been used in a wide variety of industries tocollect, store, and dispense various substances. Most traditionalcontainers have an opening into an internal cavity and are provided witha cap for sealing the cavity. The seal is often achieved by theinteraction of threads, a snap-fit, or by using a separate strap toattach the cap. Because caps are typically produced separately fromcontainers and are especially susceptible to being lost or misplaced,some manufacturers have found it desirable to produce containers havingintegrally-formed caps.

This is especially true in fields where the cap is used to seal thecontainer so that the internal cavity remains sterile prior to use. Forexample, U.S. Pat. No. 4,783,056 to Abrams, the disclosure of which isincorporated herein by reference in its entirety, discloses a processfor forming a vial having an integral cap. The process generallycomprises positioning a first mold part relative to a second mold partto define a cavity having the shape of the vial, the cap and aconnecting strap or flange extending between the vial and cap. Afterinjecting molten thermoplastic material into the cavity and letting itcool, the first mold part is moved away from the second mold part. Apivot member, such as a “flipper arm”, may then be pivoted to seal thecap onto the vial prior to releasing the final product from the mold.Thus, by closing the cap while the vial is still within the mold, theheat of the molding process is used to maintain sterility. Additionalsteps to seal the cap in an aseptic environment are not required, whichreduces overall manufacturing costs and production times.

One of the drawbacks associated with this process, however, relates toits inability to produce containers of various shapes and sizes. Becausethe injection molding process requires separate mold pieces that must bemoved apart from each other to release the final product, the shape ofthe resulting containers is oftentimes limited to that of a vial. Inother words, the containers are often generally cylindrical incross-section with little or no variation in diameter along theirlength.

Although some attempts have been made to blow mold a preform or parisonafter it has been injection molded to ultimately form a bottle orsimilar container having an integral cap and a receptacle with varyingwidth, there are currently several drawbacks that limit theeffectiveness of such attempts. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 5,008,066 toMueller, discloses a method of forming a container having an integralcap involving both an injection molding step and a blow molding step.The injection molding step produces an open-ended, generally cylindricalpreform, which is subsequently blow molded to expand the preform into acavity that defines the final shape of the container. In the process ofMueller, two separate injection and blow molding stations are required.The molded preform is ejected from the injection molding station andthen it must be transferred to the blow molding apparatus station whereit is blow molded into the final container shape. The result is anincrease in required machinery, production times, and overall costs.

Therefore, there is a need for an improved apparatus and method forforming a container having a receptacle and integral cap.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The present invention overcomes the foregoing and other shortcomings anddrawbacks of containers heretofore known having an integral cap. Whilethe invention will be described in connection with certain embodiments,it will be understood that the invention is not limited to theseembodiments. On the contrary, the invention includes all alternatives,modifications and equivalents as may be included within the spirit andscope of the present invention.

The present invention provides an apparatus that incorporates both aninjection mold portion and a blow mold portion within a single mold partto form a container having a receptacle and an integral cap. Such anarrangement enables an injection molded, vial-shaped preform or parisonhaving a cap integrally attached thereto to be subsequently blow moldedto form the desired shape of the receptacle.

To this end, and in accordance with one embodiment of the presentinvention, the apparatus generally comprises a first mold part havingthe injection mold portion and the blow mold portion and a second moldpart having a core pin. The core pin is configured to cooperate with theinjection mold portion in a first position to define an injection moldcavity for forming the preform and integral cap. The core pin is alsoconfigured to cooperate with the blow mold portion in a second positionto define a blow mold cavity for forming the receptacle from thepreform.

In one embodiment, the apparatus further includes a pivot member orflipper arm coupled to the blow mold portion of the first mold part. Thepivot member is configured to rotate the cap over the receptacle at theappropriate time during the manufacturing process to close thereceptacle. In one embodiment, the cap is configured to seal thereceptacle without requiring any additional manipulation or handling.Thus, in addition to forming a container with an integral cap, theapparatus is capable of producing sealed containers of desired shapesand sizes that are “sterile-by-process.”

In one embodiment, molten material is injected into the injection moldcavity to mold the preform and integral cap. One or more threads may beformed on a neck of the preform. Once the molten material hassufficiently cooled, the second mold part is retracted from the firstmold part and the preform and cap are transferred from the injectionmold portion to the blow mold portion. The core pin retains the preformas the second mold part is repositioned relative to the first mold partso that the core pin is aligned with the blow mold portion. The secondmold part is then positioned against the first mold part so that thepreform is received in the blow mold cavity of the blow mold portion.

The blow mold cavity has a different configuration than the preform.When pressurized gas is blown through an exterior surface of the corepin, the preform expands to conform to the shape of the blow mold cavityand form the receptacle. Thus, the blow mold cavity defines the desiredshape of the receptacle to be formed. The receptacle remains in the blowmold cavity when the second mold part is retracted from the first moldpart. Because the core pin is pulled out of the blow mold cavity,retracting the second mold part exposes an opening into an internalcavity of the receptacle. The pivot member may then be actuated torotate the cap over the opening and thereby close the container. Whenthe closed container is released or ejected from the blow mold portion,the second mold part can return to the first position to begin producinganother container.

By virtue of the foregoing, there is thus provided an improved apparatusand method of forming a container having a receptacle and an integralcap. Because the containers are produced using both an injection moldingstep and a blow-molding step, the shape of their receptacles is notlimited to that of a vial. Additionally, the apparatus and method do notrequire additional machinery to complete the manufacturing processes orto seal the containers with a cap.

The above and other objects and advantages of the present inventionshall be made apparent from the accompanying drawings and thedescription thereof.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The accompanying drawings, which are incorporated in and constitute apart of this specification, illustrate embodiments of the invention and,together with a general description of the invention given above, andthe detailed description of the embodiments given below, serve toexplain the principles of the invention.

FIG. 1 is a front elevational view showing a stationary mold part of aninjection blow mold system according to one embodiment of the presentinvention;

FIG. 2 is a view similar to FIG. 1 showing a movable mold part of theinjection blow mold system shown in FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view, taken along line 3-3 of FIG. 1 showingthe injection blow mold system in an open position with the stationarymold part of FIG. 1 spaced from the movable mold part of FIG. 2;

FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view taken along line 4-4 of FIG. 1, showingthe injection blow mold system in the open position;

FIG. 5 is a view similar to FIG. 4, showing the injection blow moldsystem in a closed position and defining an injection mold cavity forforming a preform having an integral cap attached thereto;

FIG. 5A is an enlarged view of the injection mold cavity shown in FIG.5;

FIG. 5B is a cross-sectional view taken along line 5B-5B of FIG. 5;

FIG. 5C is an enlarged view of the injection-mold cavity shown in FIG.5B;

FIG. 6 is a view similar to FIG. 4, showing the injection blow moldsystem in an open position with the movable mold part shifted to theright side of the figure relative to the stationary mold part;

FIG. 7 is a view similar to FIG. 5, showing the injection blow moldsystem in a closed position and defining a blow mold cavity for blowmolding the preform of FIG. 5 to form a container according to oneembodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 7A is an enlarged view of the blow mold cavity shown in FIG. 7;

FIG. 8 is a view similar to FIG. 4, showing the injection mold system inan open position with the blow mold cavity retaining the blow moldedcontainer of FIG. 7 therein and the movable mold part shifted to theleft side of the figure relative to the stationary mold part;

FIG. 8A is a cross-sectional view taken along line 8A-8A of FIG. 8,showing the blow molded container and the integral cap attached thereto;

FIG. 8B is a view similar to FIG. 8A, showing the integral cap flippedto close the blow molded container;

FIG. 9 is a view similar to FIG. 8, showing the closed container beingejected from the injection blow mold system;

FIG. 10A is a side elevational view of an exemplary closed containerformed by the injection blow mold system of the present invention; and

FIG. 10B is a view similar to FIG. 10A, showing the container openedwith the integral cap retained in the open position by a side wall ofthe container.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT

Referring now to the figures, an injection blow mold system 10 is shownin accordance with one embodiment of the present invention for forming acontainer 12 having a receptacle 14 and an integral cap 16 attachedthereto. In one embodiment, as shown in FIGS. 10A and 10B, the container12 may include one or more threads 18 to provide a screw-on connectionbetween the container 12 and a breast pump, for example, as will bedescribed in greater detail below.

In accordance with the principles of the present invention, theinjection blow mold system 10 generally comprises a stationary mold part20 and a movable mold part 22 that are adapted to cooperate with eachother to define both an injection mold cavity 24 and one or more blowmold cavities 26. As will be described in greater detail below,thermoplastic material is supplied to the injection mold cavity 24 toproduce a hollow preform having an integral cap attached thereto that issubsequently blow molded within one of the blow mold cavities 26 to formthe desired container shape with the container closed by the integralcap.

With reference to FIG. 4, the components of the stationary and movablemold parts 20, 22 are shown in further detail. The movable mold part 22includes first and second elongated core pins 30, 32 protruding from anexterior surface 34 configured to face the stationary mold part 20. Eachcore pin 30, 32 may be generally cylindrical in cross section but mayinclude sections of different diameter. More specifically, each core pin30, 32 includes an elongate body section 36, a flange section 38 at oneend 40 of the body section 36, a base section 42 having a diameterlarger than the diameter of the flange section 38, and a tapered section44 extending between the flange section 38 and the base section 42. Thecore pins 30, 32 are each centrally positioned between respective wedgemembers 46, 48 and wedge members 50, 52 that extend from the exteriorsurface 34 as well. Each wedge member may be generally prism-shaped withopposed sides 54, 56 that taper towards a top surface 58.

The stationary mold part 20 includes both an injection mold station 70and one or more blow mold stations 72, 74 that cooperate with the corepins 30, 32 and associated wedge members 46, 48, 50, 52 as will bedescribed in greater detail below to form the container 12. In oneembodiment, the blow mold stations 72, 74 are provided on opposite sidesof the injection mold station 70 with the blow mold stations 72, 74spaced apart from the injection mold station 70 by a distancecorresponding to the spacing between the pair of core pins 30, 32. Suchan arrangement allows the movable mold part 22 to cooperate with thestationary mold part 20 to complete the required operations for formingthe bottle 12 as described in detail below.

In one embodiment, the injection mold station 70 includes a centralcavity 78 configured to receive the core pin 30, a side cavity 80configured to receive the wedge member 46, and a side cavity 82configured to receive the wedge member 48. Clamping the movable moldpart 22 against the stationary mold part 20 results in the elongate bodysection 36 of the core pin 30 being freely received in the centralcavity 78. The wedge members 46, 48 engage a pair of threaded cammembers 84, 86 before being fully received within the side cavities 80,82. As shown in FIGS. 1 and 4, the threaded cam members 84, 86 aremovably connected to the stationary mold part 20 and include respectivesemi-circular surfaces 88, 90. The semi-circular surfaces 88, 90 arespaced apart from each other, and the threaded cam members 84, 86 areconfigured to slide relative to the stationary mold part 20 to open andclose together. More specifically, as the wedge members 46, 48 arereceived in the side cavities 80, 82, the tapered sides 54 of the wedgemembers 46, 48 contact the threaded cam members 84, 86 to move them fromtheir initial open positions shown in FIGS. 1 and 4 to the closedpositions shown in FIG. 5.

FIGS. 5A-5C illustrate the injection mold station 70 in greater detailafter the movable mold part 22 has been clamped against the stationarymold part 20. As shown in the figures, the core pin 30 is slightlysmaller than the central cavity 78 and thus cooperates with theinjection mold station 70 to define the injection mold cavity 24 betweenthe core pin 30 and a wall of the central cavity 78. A neck formingportion 96 of the injection mold cavity 24 is defined by thesemi-circular surfaces 88, 90 of the threaded cam members 84, 86, whichare positioned proximate the flange section 38 of the core pin 30. Inone embodiment, the semi-circular surfaces 88, 90 of the threaded cammembers 84, 86 each include female threads 98 so that corresponding malethreads 18 (FIG. 10B) are defined in the neck forming portion 96 of theinjection mold cavity 24.

The injection mold cavity 24 further includes a spacer portion 102 and acap portion 104 adjacent the core pin 30. As shown in FIGS. 1 and 5B,the spacer portion 102 is defined by a recessed channel 106 provided ina surface 108 of the stationary mold part 20. The channel 106 extendsbetween the central cavity 78 and an adjacent cavity 110, which has ashape that generally corresponds to the exterior of the cap 16 to beformed. To define the interior of the cap 16, the movable mold part 22further includes core members 112, 114 (FIG. 2) positioned adjacent tothe respective core pins 30, 32. The core members 112, 114 protrude fromthe surface 34 of the movable mold part 22 and are configured tocooperate with the cavity 110 to define the cap portion of the injectionmold cavity 24. Thus, when the core pin 30 is received in the centralcavity 78, the core member 112 is received in the adjacent cavity 110.Because the mold surface 108 does not contact the exterior surface 34when the stationary and movable mold parts 20, 22 are clamped together,collar members 116, 117 are positioned around the respective coremembers 112, 114. The collar members 116, 117 help close the injectionmold cavity 24, as best shown in FIG. 5C.

Referring again to FIGS. 5 and 5A-5C, the stationary mold part 20further includes an injection passage 118 configured to supplythermoplastic material to the injection mold cavity 24. A mold piece 120may be coupled to the stationary mold half 20 to define additional fluidpassages 122 and to direct the thermoplastic material from a supply (notshown) to the injection mold passage 118. The thermoplastic materialpreferably has properties suitable for injection molding and blowmolding. When the material is injected into the injection mold cavity24, it flows into the neck forming portion 96, spacer portion 102, capportion 104, and the remainder of the injection mold cavity 24. In oneembodiment, the injected thermoplastic material forms an elongatedpreform 124 on the body section 36 of the core pin 30, a threaded neck126 extending from the preform 124, the integral cap 16, and a hingedstrap 128 interconnecting the cap 16 and the preform 124.

With reference to FIGS. 5 and 6, the movable mold part 22 is retractedfrom the stationary mold part 20 after the injection molding step iscompleted. The preform 124 and cap 16 remain positioned on the core pin30 and the core member 112, while the threaded cam members 84, 86 moveback toward their initial open positions. The movable mold part 22 isthen shifted or repositioned relative to the stationary mold part 20 sothat the core pin 30 is substantially aligned with the blow mold station72. A piston 132 or any other mechanical, electro-mechanical, or fluiddriven device may be coupled to the movable mold part 22 to facilitatethis shifting movement. Additionally, a guide pin 134 may be provided onthe movable mold part 22 to help ensure that the stationary and movablemold parts 20, 22 are properly aligned before being clamped together. Asshown in FIGS. 1-3, the stationary mold part 20 includes bores 136, 138configured to receive the guide pin 134 when the movable mold part 22 isproperly aligned. The bore 136 is positioned in a flange 140 on a side142 of the stationary mold part 20, while the bore 138 extends into thestationary mold part 20 itself.

As shown in FIG. 6, the blow mold station 72 includes a first mold half148 and a second mold half 150 positioned within a pocket 152 formed inthe stationary mold part 20. The first and second mold halves 148, 150are configured to move within the pocket 152 so that the blow moldstation 72 is able to receive the wedge members 46, 48. Morespecifically, the first and second mold halves 148, 150 are spaced apartfrom opposed sides 154 and 156 of the pocket 152. Each mold half 148,150 includes a tapered outer surface 158 and an inner surface 160configured to define a portion of the blow mold cavity 26. When themovable mold part 22 is clamped against the stationary mold part 20, thetapered surfaces 154 of the wedge members 46, 48 cooperate with thetapered surfaces 158 to drive the first and second mold halves 148, 150together. Eventually the first and second mold halves 148, 150 close theblow mold cavity 26 around the preform 124. Thus, the first and secondmold halves 148, 150 are configured to move from their initial openpositions shown in FIG. 6 to the closed positions shown in FIG. 7.

When the core pin 30 and preform 124 are received in the blow moldcavity 26, pressurized gas is blown through an exterior surface 164 ofthe core pin 30 through a gas passage 166. As best shown in FIG. 7A, thegas causes the preform 124 to expand and conform to the shape of theblow mold cavity 26 while the threaded neck 126 of the preform 124retains its original shape. The blow molding operation therefore resultsin the formation of the receptacle 14 of the bottle 12. Although theblow mold cavity 26 (and thus the receptacle 14) is shown as having asomewhat pear-shaped configuration, those skilled in the art willappreciate that the first and second mold halves 148, 150 may bedesigned to produce a wide variety of other shapes without departingfrom the spirit and scope of the present invention.

During the blow molding process, the cap 16 is received and maintainedin a corresponding cavity 170 (FIGS. 1 and 8A) of a pivot member or“flipper arm” 172 coupled to the blow mold station 72. When the movablemold part 22 is retracted from the stationary mold part 20, the blowmold cavity 26 retains the receptacle 14 while the adjacent cavity 170retains the cap 16. Thus, the cap separates 16 from the core member 112and is maintained adjacent to the receptacle 14 by the hinged strap 128.At approximately the same time, the core pin 30 is pulled through theneck 126 to expose an opening 174 (FIGS. 7A and 8A) into an internalcavity 176 of the receptacle 14. The receptacle 14 may be cooled asnecessary during and after the retraction of the second mold piece 22.

FIGS. 8, 8A, and 8B show the pivot member 172 in further detailaccording to one embodiment. The pivot member 172 is coupled to thestationary mold part 20 by opposed pivot pins 178, 180 and is supportedin one or more pockets 182 formed in the blow mold station 72. After themovable mold part 22 has been retracted from the stationary mold part20, the pivot member 172 rotates about the pivot pins 178, 180 to “flip”the cap 16 over the opening 174 to close the bottle 12. The pivot member172 is configured to rotate in a manner that allows the cap 16 to bereceived on the threaded neck 126 of the bottle 12. In one embodiment,the cap 16 is configured to form a generally fluid-tight seal with thebottle 12.

The bottle 12 is ejected from the blow mold station 72 after the pivotmember 172 rotates back into the pocket 182. More specifically, and withreference to FIG. 9, the first and second mold halves 148, 150 move backtoward their initial open positions to open the blow mold cavity 26 andallow the bottle 12 to be ejected therefrom. After the core pin 30 isaligned with the injection mold cavity 70, the stationary and movablemold parts 20, 22 may then be clamped back together to begin a cycle forproducing another bottle.

Although a single row of injection and blow molding stations are shownin the figures, it should be understood that multiple rows of suchstations may be provided. Other arrangements could also be employed.

The injection blow mold system 10 may therefore be used to produce manybottles having integrally-formed caps attached thereto. Advantageously,the injection blow mold system 10 does not require additional machineryto complete the manufacturing process or to seal the bottles itproduces. For example, injection-molded preforms do not need to betransferred from an injection-molding machine to a separate blow-moldmachine to form the bottles. Additionally, the injection blow moldsystem 10 closes the bottles immediately after they are formed andwithout any human contact such that the bottles are“sterile-by-process.” An additional machine to snap, screw, or otherwiseattach caps to the bottles is not required. Thus, by incorporating bothan injection molding station 70 and blow mold stations 72, 74 within thesame mold, the injection blow mold system 10 reduces the number ofmachines that must be bought, operated, and maintained to producebottles having an integral cap.

Because the containers 12 are produced using both an injection moldingstep and a blow molding step, the shape of their receptacles is notlimited to that of a vial. As mentioned above, the first and second moldhalves 148, 150 may be designed to define a blow mold cavity having avariety of different configurations. Thus, the injection blow moldsystem 10 may be used to produce containers of almost any desired shapeor size for storing, collecting, and/or dispensing materials. Theinjection blow mold system 10 may also be configured to produce bottlesthat incorporate ergonomic and other convenient features. For example,in the embodiment shown in FIGS. 10A and 10B, the bottle 12 includes apocket or depression 194 formed in the side wall of the receptacle 14.The pocket 194 is formed by providing a corresponding protrusion (notshown) on the inner surface 160 of one of the first and second moldhalves 148, 150. In addition to providing a place for an individual togrip the bottle 12, the pocket 194 may be configured to retain the cap16 in an open position. To this end, the cap 16 may include a protrusion196 shaped to cooperate with the pocket 194. When an user wishes tosecure the cap 16 in an open position, the user simply presses the cap16 against the pocket 194 until the protrusion 196 is received therein.An interference fit may be created between the components such that thecap 16 snaps into place and is retained by the pocket 194. One skilledin the art will appreciate that other structural formations provided onthe bottle 12 and cap 16 are possible as well for retaining the cap 16in an open position.

As described above, the containers 12 may include one or more threads 18provided on the neck 126 of the container 12. In this embodiment, thecontainer 12 may be used for collecting and storing breast milk obtainedusing a breast pump, for example, similar to the container fullydescribed in U.S. Ser. No. 11/191,301, filed Jul. 27, 2005 and entitledContainer for Collecting and Storing Breast Milk, owned by the commonassignee and the disclosure of which is hereby incorporated herein byreference in its entirety. The thread(s) 18 may be configured to providescrew-on connection between the container 12 and a breast pump (notshown) during collection of breast milk within the container 12. Thethread(s) 18 may further be configured to provide a screw-on connection(when not connected to a breast pump) between the container 12 and afeeding nipple (not shown).

In one embodiment, the thread 18 comprises a single helical thread.Alternatively, the thread 18 may comprise a plurality of helical ornon-helical threads formed on the neck of the container 12.

In the closed and sealed position of the cap 16, a skirt 198 of the cap16 may be positioned above the thread(s) 18. Alternatively, the skirt198 may be configured to cover a portion or all of the thread(s) 18 whenthe cap 16 is closed on the container 12. The container 12 may includecalibration markings or other indicia to indicate the amount of breastmilk contained therein. At least one of the container 12 or cap 16 mayinclude an area thereon configured to receive writing such as, forexample, the mother's name, baby's name, collection date/time, anyillnesses, any use of medication and/or hospital identification.

In one aspect of the invention, the injection blow mold system 10provides an overlapping cycle for forming a second container. Forexample, referring again to FIGS. 6 and 7, when the core pin 30 isreceived in the blow mold station 72, the core pin 32 is received in theinjection mold station 70. The core pin 32 and wedge members 50, 52interact with the stationary mold part 20 in substantially the samemanner as the core pin 30 and wedge members 46, 48. Thus, as the preform124 is being blow molded in the blow mold station 72, thermoplasticmaterial may be supplied to the injection mold cavity 24 to beginforming a second preform 190 on the core pin 32. The second preform 190is received in the blow mold cavity 26 of the blow mold station 74 whilethe core pin 30 is received in the injection mold station 70 to beginforming another container. The second preform is blow molded at the blowmold station 74 while another preform is injection molded onto the corepin 30 at the injection mold station 70.

Thus, by simultaneously completing manufacturing operations on differentcontainers, the injection blow mold system 10 enables overall productiontimes to be reduced. The overlapping cycle for forming the secondcontainer therefore results in greater output and overall efficiency.

While the invention has been illustrated by the description of one ormore embodiments thereof, and while the embodiments have been describedin considerable detail, they are not intended to restrict or in any waylimit the scope of the appended claims to such detail. Additionaladvantages and modifications will readily appear to those skilled in theart. The invention in its broader aspects is therefore not limited tothe specific details, representative apparatus and methods andillustrative examples shown and described. Accordingly, departures maybe made from such details without departing from the scope or spirit ofApplicants' general inventive concept.

Having described the invention, we claim:
 1. A container, comprising: areceptacle having a body portion defining an internal cavity and a neckportion defining an opening to the internal cavity, the body portionhaving a first cross-section dimension and the neck portion having asecond cross-section dimension less than the first cross-sectiondimension, the neck portion further including an outer surface havingthreads positioned thereon; and a cap integrally formed with thereceptacle and configured to seal the opening to the internal cavity. 2.The bottle of claim 1, the receptacle further comprising a pocket formedin the body portion and configured to retain the cap in an openposition.
 3. The bottle of claim 2, the cap further including aprotrusion shaped to cooperate with the pocket on the receptacle to forman interference fit therebetween.